Religion in Westeros

The Faith of the Seven

The dominant religion of Westeros is that of the Seven. With the exception of those born in the North or the Iron Islands, all people in Westeros are raised to follow the Seven. The faithful worship a single deity with seven aspects or faces, each representing a different virtue. Worshippers pray to specific aspects of the Seven for help and guidance depending on their need. The aspects are:

• Father, representing judgment, he carries scales and is prayed to for justice.
• Mother, representing motherhood and nurturing, she is prayed to for fertility or compassion.
• Warrior, representing strength in battle, he is prayed to for victory.
• Maiden, representing innocence and chastity, she is usually prayed to to protect a maiden's virtue.
• Smith, representing crafts and labor, he is usually prayed to when work needs to be done.
• Crone, representing wisdom, she carries a lantern and is prayed to for guidance.
• Stranger, an exception to the other aspects, the Stranger represents death and the unknown. Worshippers rarely seek favor from the Stranger, but outcasts sometimes associate themselves with this god.

Places of worship are known as septs, and their clergy are called septa or septon. There are septs in most villages and castles. Septa and septon may be part of a specialized order devoted to one aspect of the Seven. The highest ranking member of the clergy is the High Septon, who is based in King's Landing.

The Old Gods

Some pockets in the north still worship the Old Gods, most notably House Stark and their bannermen. The religion of the Old Gods has no organization, clergy, evangelical movements, or holy texts, but some traditions are passed down by their followers. Weirwood trees with faces carved into them, called heart trees, are considered sacred. Prayer, oaths, and marriages are often performed in the presence of a heart tree. It is said that the faces were carved into the weirwoods by the children of the forest, but their meaning or purpose is not completely understood by humans.

The Drowned God

A sea deity worshipped solely by the men of the Iron Islands. Not much is known of this god outside of islands, and until recently, it was unknown for any but the ironborn to follow him. Lately there have been tales of good folk being taken in raids by the Greyjoys, and being returned changed – suddenly devout followers of the Drowned God.